UPCOMING EVENTS

The epic space battles between dueling ships is one of the coolest things in the Star Wars universe, and now Disney is preparing to bring those battles to the Web with a free-to-play game.

Disney announced Star Wars: Attack Squadron today. It is a free online title that puts players in the X-wing or TIE Fighter ships from the original Star Wars trilogy. Attack Squadron is in closed beta now, and wannabe starfighter pilots can head to the game’s website for a chance to get in on the action now.

Attack Squadron features three different battle modes: a 16-player free-for-all game where it’s every ship for itself, a team-dogfight mode for eight-on-eight action, and an objective mode where teams take turns attacking and defending a base.

Players will also have their own ship that they can upgrade and personalize. Players that win matches will earn points to unlock new items to further improve their ship.

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Image Credit: Disney

In October 2012, Disney purchased the Star Wars property from creator George Lucas for $4.05 billion. Following that deal, Disney agreed to license Star Wars game-publishing rights to Electronic Arts, although that deal only applies to triple-A console and PC games. Disney can still make mobile, social, and free-to-play games using the Star Wars license, which would cover Attack Squadrons.